Scarlet Skies are Falling
by NarutoRomantic
Summary: Sakura and Sasuke have begun rebuilding the Uchiha clan. Soon after, Sakura discovers that it might not be as broken as she'd once thought. Sakura knows that Sasuke has his secrets - she just didn't think he'd lie to her about something as big as this. SasuSaku. Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari, Itachi/?. Please Review!
1. The Twins

"This one will be difficult, Sakura. Are you sure that you can handle it?" Tsunade glanced up from the chart in her hand just long enough to level her former student with a firm, yet understanding look. If she wasn't up for it, now was the time to back out.

Sakura peered around her sensei, looking in the small observation window at the task before her. Two children, perhaps not much more than seven-years-old, had recently been rescued from a cave in the forest on the outskirts of Konoha. The boy seemed relatively healthy, and powerful enough to take out several of the rescue-nin before finally becoming overwhelmed. The little girl, however… that was another story entirely.

"Normally, I wouldn't ask. But seeing as you now have a conflict of interest -," her eyes dipped to Sakura's small baby bump for a fraction of a second, before meeting her eyes again. Sakura frowned. "I don't want you getting attached to her."

Normally, Sakura would've been insulted, having her skills called into question now that she was pregnant. But she knew that Tsunade meant well, and so she tried to let the slight slide. "I'll be fine. I won't get attached."

Tsunade looked into the window, shaking her head. "That little boy hasn't left her side in _days_. He refuses to eat and he's not sleeping. If this continues, we'll have to sedate him."

"I'll talk with him." Sakura said, taking the chart and looking over it once. "Protecting her is probably all he knows. He doesn't know us and clearly he doesn't trust us, so he's acting on instinct."

Now, it was Tsunade's turn to frown. "Then _make_ him trust us."

Sakura took that as her cue to leave. Tucking the chart under her arm, she went over to the little girl's room and knocked on the door. The boy nearly jumped out of his skin, and immediately took a defensive position over the sleeping girl's body. Okay, perhaps not the best move on the road to earning the boy's trust… Sakura entered, giving the boy a placating smile and raising her hands innocently. When he saw this, he calmed considerably.

"Can I come in?" She asked softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping patient.

"Why even ask? You'll just do what you want anyhow." The boy snapped back.

She sighed. Apparently, this would be more difficult than she'd originally thought. "My name is Uchiha Sakura, and I'll be the one caring for -," it was then that she realized that the little girl's chart didn't have a name. "Caring for your friend, here."

"My _friend_? She's my twin sister." And then suddenly, the boy seemed to deflate. "She's all that I have left…"

The boy had originally fallen on their radar after he'd been caught stealing from one of the local fruit vendors in town. They'd tracked him to his forest hide-out, where, much to their surprise, they'd found him peeling the fruit a crude instrument that vaguely resembled a knife and helping his sister to eat. The girl was weak and malnourished, with dirty, blood-soaked gauze over her eyes. The mission for recompense then turned into a rescue-mission, and the boy was less than thrilled.

"Can you tell me her name?" Sakura gingerly took a seat at the foot of the bed, leveling with the boy. He never took his eyes off his sister.

"Makoto." He didn't specify a last name and Sakura didn't push.

"Makoto." She repeated. "That's a very pretty name." The boy was hardly moved. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Why do you care?" He said rudely. "My sister and I were just fine before your men came and forced us out of our home! It's _my_ job to protect her. I'm her big brother, and that's what big brother's do. And now you're gonna take her away from me."

Sakura shook her head. "Nobody is going to take Makoto away from you. You did excellently, caring for her all this time." Sakura commended him. "But your sister, she's very sick. The infection in her eyes has made her blind."

"You think I don't know that?" He sneered. "She's sick, just like Daddy was sick. She's weak, and no matter how much food I get for her, she's not gonna get any stronger. There's blood filling up her lungs and most of the time, she can't breathe right."

"We can help her here." Sakura said gently, but her kind words were met with a cold glare.

"Help her like you helped Daddy?" He bit back, eyes blazing and tears rolling down his reddened cheeks. "'Help her' by pumping her full of medicines that make her nauseous? By making false promises and giving her sugar-coated facts?"

The little girl stirred, having been woken by the volume of her brother's voice. The boy immediately calmed, falling to his knees beside her bed and clutching her small hand tightly between his own. While the girl had been resting so serenely before, now each breath was clearly a struggle. Sakura could hear the tell-tale rattling in her chest, a sure sign that her lungs were filled with fluid. After one particularly poor inhale, she began to cough, dark red blood spilling over her petal-pink lips.

Her brother dutifully attended to her, not even bothering to don gloves as he wiped the blood from her chin with a tissue. He threw it away, before gently coaxing her back into a reclining position. He pulled the blankets up to her chin and rubbed her shoulder soothingly, attempting to lull her back to sleep. But it didn't work. Instead, she turned her head in Sakura's direction. It was a bit unnerving, having the girl stare directly at her and knowing that she couldn't see a thing.

"Samuru," she said softly, her voice gravely from her earlier coughing fit. "Who is that?"

The boy, apparently named Samuru, inclined his head toward Sakura. "She's the one who is going to make you feel better." He narrowed his eyes at Sakura, as if threatening her to go against what he'd just said.

"Is she here to fix my eyes?" She asked. Sakura's eyes were drawn to the gauze that was draped lightly over the little girl's eyes.

"May I look at them?" Sakura asked, leaning forward to gently trace along the edge of the gauze wrapping.

"No -," the little boy was immediately about to shoot her down.

Makoto smiled, giving a small nod. "Sure." As Sakura began to unwind the bandages, Makoto continued, "Don't mind Samuru. He just gets a little bit overprotective sometimes."

"Makoto, you know that oji-san is the only one allowed to see your eyes!" But it was already too late.

As the bandages fell away, Sakura felt her heart leap up into her throat. Blood red eyes glared back at her, with three distinct tomoe in each. This little girl, who couldn't have been more than seven-years-old, had a fully developed Sharingan. However, the grotesque scars beside her eye sockets indicated that these eyes were not hers originally. Someone had done a messy job of transplanting them into the helpless child – but why? And did that mean that…

Sakura looked over the little girl carefully. Thick, raven waves fell down around her like a gothic crown, falling just a bit further than her shoulders. Though her sickness had drained all the color from her face, she seemed to have once been particularly tan. And that facial structure… Sakura turned to Samuru, who was gripping Makoto's hand tightly as another wave of pain washed over her. Those onyx eyes and that messy black hair. Her heart sank into her stomach.

Samuru was the spitting image of his father, one of the most hated men in all of Konoha. "Samuru…"

The boy smirked. "Finally figured it out, huh? Just a bit slow on the uptake, I see." He gently urged his sister to close her eyes. Keeping them open was draining unnecessary chakra. "So, Sakura oba-san… still so ready to help us?"

* * *

 **Samuru:** "the name of God"

 **Makoto:** "sincerity"

 **Oji-san:** uncle, form.

 **Oja-san:** aunt, form.

 **A/N:** Well, what did everyone think? Is it worth continuing? Please remember to drop a review!


	2. Coming Home

"You're..." she trailed off, the shock finally settling in. The two children before her, they were _Itachi's..._ And that meant that...

"I'm the rightful head of the Uchiha clan." Samuru finished helpfully. The clan leader was a cocky, arrogant seven-year-old _boy_. A boy that, two hours ago, she hadn't even known existed. "Not that I have any interest in that title. The politics of it is just too... _messy_."

Ah, yes. Because the _last_ leader of the Uchiha clan had planned a failed coup that had resulted in almost the entire clan getting massacred. She didn't know how much Samuru knew about Fugaku, but she highly doubted that Itachi would have painted him in a very favorable light. And since Itachi had left the village following the massacre, it was always assumed that Sasuke would have to take up the banner of that bloody legacy.

Apparently, that was no longer the case.

How had these two children flown under the radar for _seven years?_ Sakura felt safe in assuming that Itachi hadn't played a very active role in their lives. Hell, given their age, he'd been _dead_ for most of their lives. He'd left two small children to fend for themselves in a dangerous world, a decision that could very well result in Makoto's death. And for what end? Had Itachi not cared about his children at all?

Sakura decided to change the subject. "I can help you. I _will_ help you." Because it wasn't their fault, the namesake they'd been born into. "But before I can fix your eyes, I need to know who they originally belonged to."

Makoto shrugged. "Beats me." Sensing her brother tensing up beside her, she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I was four when I first started to go blind. So I received new eyes in hopes of saving my sight. Since I hadn't activated my Sharingan on my own, however... there were some complications."

"Complications?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

The little girl nodded. "You see it sometimes when the Sharingan is placed into the body of a non-Uchiha. It cannot be deactivated. Usually they'll cover it to help conserve chakra, but the strain of it can be very painful." She sighed, opening her blood red eyes. "I cannot deactivate my own Sharingan."

"That's enough now, Makoto. You should be resting." He stroked her arm comfortingly. "Straining yourself will only make you sicker."

Makoto smiled, but it was dark and almost chilling. "I know that I am dying, brother. No amount of rest will fix that."

"You're not dying." He said, but even to Sakura, the declaration sounded weak and unsure. "Didn't you hear oba-san? She can help you. You'll feel better in no time, and soon, this will all be a distant memory."

"I wonder if it's pretty, where Daddy is." Makoto mused softly. "Do you think he thinks about us?"

Samuru lowered his head, fingers wrapping tightly around the blankets, squeezing so hard that his knuckles turned red from the strain. She could only imagine how difficult it must've been for him to hear his sister talk that way. After all, she'd heard from the rescue-nin how hard he was working to keep her alive. Practically spoon-feeding her when she didn't have the strength to feed herself, making sure she drank enough water, and sometimes even helping her to bathe.

He'd dedicated his life to his sister, to caring for her. Perhaps it had been their father that had entrusted him with the task, or maybe he'd realized that Makoto was all he had left in the world and he wasn't ready to lose her too. Either way, hearing her say that she was ready for the pain to end, to be with their father again... it must've destroyed him. He lowered his face to the sheets, shoulders trembling as he fought back tears.

"You're not going anywhere, Makoto. It's pretty _here_. When all the leaves change color in the fall... or seeing the freshly fallen snow... You _will_ see it again, sister. I promise." Samuru said between fits of sobs.

Makoto looked in his direction, and for a moment, it almost seemed as though she could _see_ him. But Sakura knew that that was wishful thinking. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "I wish there was a way that everyone could be happy."

She flinched, letting out a low moan as a thin line of blood trickled down her cheek, coming from her left eye. Sakura rose, "I'll go get you some pain medication."

When she returned several minutes later, Samuru had dutifully cleaned off his sister's cheek. Makoto was sleeping peacefully, and he'd carefully re-wrapped the bandages over her eyes. Sakura went over to her IV, inserting the needle into the tube to administer the pain killer. At the very least, it would help her to sleep. She needed to rest while Sakura plotted out the best course of treatment for her eyes.

"I'll find a way to help her." She softly assured, giving Samuru a reassuring smile. "Your sister isn't going anywhere." Repeating Samuru's earlier declaration got her a small smile... and that was definitely a start.

* * *

Sakura burst into Tsunade's office, anger radiating off her small frame as she slammed Makoto's chart down onto her desk with a little more force than necessary. "Why didn't you tell me that that little girl has a Sharingan?"

Tsunade sighed, "That information was strictly need-to-know. I don't know all the specifics myself."

"How the hell do you expect me to be able to properly treat my patients when I go in there without all the facts? Do we even know whose eyes those are?" Sakura bit back. This wasn't like Tsunade, withholding information from her.

Tsunade offered her former student a placating smile. "I can't tell you that."

"Then I can't treat her." Sakura bit back, furious. Did Tsunade really expect that she'd just dive head-first into something she knew so little about? It was concerning a seven-year-old girl – how top-secret could the information be?

"I'm afraid that you have no choice, now. You've seen her eyes. You're in deep in this, Sakura. There's no backing out now."

Sakura frowned, "How many others know about this?"

It was in that moment that she sensed a third chakra. Tsunade gave a slight nod, and the third person in the room slowly revealed himself. Sasuke. Sakura felt her chest tighten, realizing the implications of his presence in Tsunade's office. Before, she'd convinced herself that, even if Sasuke had known about the kids, he didn't have any part in what had happened to the poor girl's eyes. Now, she wasn't so sure... and she didn't think she _wanted_ to know, either.

He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, and she forced herself not to meet his gaze. He'd lied to her. She'd known, going into this relationship, that Sasuke would be coming in with his fair share of baggage. He had his various skeletons in the closet, his demons that he wasn't quite ready to confront. She'd convinced herself that she was okay with not knowing all the little details, knowing that he'd never be comfortable enough to let someone analyze his life so closely. But this... she couldn't just pretend that she was okay with the fact that he'd lied about something this big - that he wasn't the sole survivor of his clan.

"How is Makoto?" He asked, focusing his attention on Tsunade. Tsunade took the battered chart from the edge of her desk, quickly flipping through the notes that Sakura had made.

"She is stable, but sickly. The boy seems to think that she has the same illness as their father." She said. "Is there anything else you can tell me about the development of Itachi's illness?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. His eyes would bleed occasionally and he'd cough up blood a lot. But many of his symptoms were masked with various medicines – nobody realized how far gone he was until he was practically dead."

"We still have the bloody gauze that was covering her eyes. We'll run some tests and analyze the results."

Sakura looked between the two of them, struck by how natural this conversation seemed. Was she the only one that was shocked to find out that Itachi had children? How many other people knew about it? Absently, her hand came to rest on her small baby bump. Not too long ago, she'd been thrilled by the idea of bringing Sasuke's child into the world, of helping rebuild his clan. Apparently, his clan wasn't as broken as she'd once thought.

Not only were those two children heirs to the Uchiha clan, but since Samuru was Itachi's firstborn son, he was the rightful leader of the clan. Was that why Sasuke hadn't told anyone about their existence? He worried that his position as clan leader would be usurped by a seven-year-old boy? Or was it that Samuru was Itachi's son, and therefore unfit to be the clan leader?

She didn't like to think of her husband as a petty man, but then, she couldn't really think of any other way to justify it. Pretending like the twins didn't exist just made it look like he was desperately trying to keep control of his power. But that still didn't explain Makoto's eyes. If he was trying to protect his claim to power, why would he have a hand in the transplant?

"Sakura," she jumped, her husband's voice pulling her out of her reverie. "Will you be able to draw the infection out of her eyes to restore her sight?"

She nodded, "I should be able to. If Samuru ever lets me that close to her again."

"I'll handle Samuru." Sasuke said. "Her eyes are perfectly viable. Once her eyesight is restored, with proper training, I am confident that she will have more control over her Sharingan."

"While this task might be difficult for you, Sakura, it was given to you because of your resistance to genjutsu. Makoto cannot deactivate her Sharingan, so you will need to be on high-alert during the entire operation." Tsunade said.

"Has a date been set for the operation?" Sakura asked, not doubting that all of this had already been plotted out long in advance.

"Two weeks from today." Tsunade affirmed. "Until then, both Samuru and Makoto have been released into your care, per Sasuke's request. Given the sensitive nature of this case, it's too dangerous to keep them in the hospital. But if anything should happen with Makoto before then, bring her back immediately, alright?"

"Of course." Sakura nodded, swallowing hard.

Tsunade handed her a stack of papers. "This is the paperwork for the medical equipment she'll need for the next two weeks. Buy it now, then file the paperwork to be reimbursed by the hospital. The machinery is practically the same as what we use in the hospital - I'm sure you'll learn it quickly."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Sakura bowed respectfully, before hurriedly taking her leave. She didn't think she could stand being in there for another moment.

* * *

Sakura barely made it to the cafeteria before she broke down. The tears came fast and hard, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop them. She wasn't even completely sure that she _wanted_ to.

She knew that he'd followed her. She'd expected that, of course. She'd known that he'd seen her little outburst at Tsunade before he'd shown his face, and knew that she was hiding something from him when she suddenly became eerily calm. Unlike him, she didn't like to hide things from her husband. She did her best to be an open book, to confide in him when she was hurt or afraid. Because it made him feel important to know she trusted him so much.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" She didn't sound angry, just painfully tired and _broken_.

He sighed, taking the seat across from her. She angrily wiped at her eyes, never wanting to seem weak in front of him. "I couldn't tell you about them." He said finally. "I wanted to tell you, but... I had to be sure, first."

"Sure about what?" She bit back fiercely. "My feelings for you? My desire to build a life with you? My real motives for wanting to help you rebuild your clan?" She was screaming now, and attracting quite a bit of unwanted attention. When she saw this, she quickly deflated.

Sasuke stared at her blankly, and she couldn't read his expression. "I had to make sure that they were really Itachi's children, and not some ploy by Orochimaru."

Sakura frowned. She hadn't thought about that. Of course, Orochimaru would have the capability of creating two children with enough Uchiha DNA in them to vaguely resemble Itachi. It would even make sense that he would be the one behind the botched eye transplant, considering the twisted nature of many of his so-called "creations". Most were beautiful, in an almost grotesque way. But this? This was just cruel.

But she quickly shot the idea down. Even if that were the case, as his _wife,_ she had the right to know that there might be other Uchihas floating around. What if they'd met under different circumstances? The Uchihas they'd met in the past weren't exactly the friendliest ninja they'd ever met. They were shinobi that were cursed with unbelievable pain and anguish that went back for generations.

If Samuru and Makoto really were Itachi's children, than that meant they were also unbelievably powerful. Should anything happen to Makoto, it would undoubtedly lead to Samuru awakening his Sharingan. In addition to this, Samuru was already well-versed in all of the clan jutsu, including the Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu technique that had been passed down from generation to generation. He was _dangerous_.

Sakura sighed, rubbing at her face again. "I'll begin fixing the paperwork for Makoto's release. She'll have to be watched constantly, though. She's very sick." She began to rise, not really wanting to see Sasuke's face any longer. "And if they're coming home with us, we'll need to find a place for them to sleep -,"

Sasuke cut her off, clearly already having thought ahead for such a situation. "I've already cleared out the nursery and set up two cots for them." He said. Either he missed the way that Sakura's shoulders tensed at his words, or he chose to ignore it.

"Where did you put the furniture from the nursery?" Sakura asked, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall once again. They'd spent _hours_ decorating the nursery for their little one - and he'd just _taken it all apart?_ Their unborn child's room was being turned into a _hospital room_?

"In storage." Sasuke shrugged. "We won't be needing it for several more months anyhow, right? And by then, Makoto will definitely have recovered."

Sakura forced a smile, even as it shook with the threat of another flood of tears. "Right."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who took the time to drop a review last chapter! Be sure to let me know what you think of this one! Thanks for reading!


	3. Mommy Dearest

An hour after she'd filed the paperwork, Sakura found herself at Makoto's bedside once again, carefully removing the many wires that were attached to her small body. Once she'd removed all of the wires and turned off the machines, Sasuke scooped the small, frail body into his arms. He cradled her close to his chest, his touch so gentle one would think he was holding a porcelain doll instead of a seven-year-old child. He was holding her like she was a newborn baby.

Sakura couldn't help but resent this little girl, and she hated herself for it. After all, the only thing she'd done was exist. It really wasn't fair to blame her for something so out of her control - it certainly wasn't her fault that she'd been born into the Uchiha lineage. But the way Sasuke cradled her, almost _lovingly_ , just pressed all the wrong buttons for Sakura. Especially after Sasuke announced what he'd done to their unborn child's nursery...

"Sasuke oji-san?" Makoto asked softly. But even that was enough to send her into a coughing fit. She fisted the front of his shirt in her tiny hands as she coughed, and he patted her back till she settled. "Is that... Is that you?"

"Sakura, the oxygen tank." It wasn't even a question, it was a demand. Sakura narrowed her eyes, but complied nonetheless. Not for Sasuke, but for her patient.

She grabbed the portable oxygen tank and slid the strap over Sasuke's shoulder, before situating the nose canola on Makoto's tiny face. As soon as the oxygen started flowing into her, she began breathing easier. Her lungs were still rattling, but that couldn't be helped until they were in a position to drain them. The first problem to be dealt with was the eyes. Everything else could wait.

"We _will_ be talking about this later." Sakura said stiffly. She wasn't happy and damn it, even if it didn't change his opinion at all, she wasn't just going to let their conversation about this stand without having her say.

Once again, Sasuke ignored her in favor of motioning to Samuru. "Samuru, take oba-san's hand."

The boy glared at him defiantly. "Why would I want to do that?"

Sasuke scowled. "Because I _told_ you to. That's why." He said, his voice little more than a low growl. Samuru quickly grabbed Sakura's hand, but that didn't stop him about grumbling about it under his breath.

Clearly, Sasuke hadn't been exaggerating when he said that he could handle Samuru. Samuru was very obviously unhappy about how his uncle had treated him, but he wasn't going to directly challenge Sasuke. Meanwhile, he'd nearly bit Sakura's head off at every turn for so much as _looking_ at his sister. She sighed. How did she think she was ever going to be able to handle a newborn when she couldn't even manage a bratty seven-year-old kid?

* * *

It physically hurt to look at her child's nursery. It looked like a hospital room. Makoto had been hooked up to the many machines that would be keeping her alive, the nose canola still in place. The room that had once been so warm was now washed in white and smelled faintly of antiseptic. Beeping machines and flashing lights reminded her of the emergency room she'd just left. This was no longer the nursery of her dreams. It was the room of her nightmares.

Sakura went into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea. She knew that Sasuke was sitting at the table, but she wasn't ready to face him. Not quite yet. Apparently, he didn't share the same sentiment. "This is bigger than you, Sakura. We've all had to make our sacrifices -,"

Sakura cut him off. "I really don't want to talk to you right now, okay? Just... not right now." Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't fill the cup with water.

"You said that we would be talking about things later. This is later." Sasuke said, matter-of-fact. "Though I'm not exactly sure what you think we need to talk about. This doesn't really concern you."

Sakura paused, suddenly becoming eerily still. Gritting her teeth, she slowly lowered the mug to the counter, not bothering to turn around and look at her husband. "Do you even realize what you just said? Doesn't concern me? Doesn't _fucking_ concern me? What part of this _doesn't_ concern me?"

"It's not your burden to bear." Sasuke said, shrugging. "They'll be gone before you even realize they're here."

Sakura frowned. How could he be so _daft?_ "I _already_ realize that they're here! They took my fucking child's nursery! That's kind of hard to just _overlook_."

Sasuke was silent for several moments, staring at her swollen belly. To say that he'd been shocked when she told him that she was pregnant would be a severe understatement. They'd been dating for a whole six months, had slept together one time, and she'd gotten pregnant. They'd kind of fallen into marriage from there, with Sakura wanting the child that she bore to help Sasuke fulfill his dream of restoring the Uchiha clan.

Yes, they were a young couple. But before this whole mess had happened, Sakura had thought that they had stood a decent chance of overcoming the impressive odds stacked against them and actually coming out stronger on the other side. Now, with how hasty he'd been to disassemble the nursery, she was beginning to wonder if he even _wanted_ to have a child with her. Because he'd certainly made it clear that her child was less important than Itachi's two kids.

"How long did you know?" She asked finally. She still refused to look at him, but had finally gotten enough control back to fill her mug with hot water.

Sasuke sighed. "Before Itachi broke the jutsu that Kabuto had used to reanimate him, he told me the truth about the massacre. He told me that I didn't have to forgive him... but that I should know about the twins. Not for his sake, but for theirs. They'd been alone for so long and he was worried that they'd..."

Sakura swallowed. "That's two years, Sasuke. Almost three. You've known about this for almost _three years_... and never thought that maybe, just maybe, you should _tell me about it?"_ That anger was returning, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to stifle it and failing miserably.

"Like I said, this doesn't concern you." Sasuke said, taking a sip of his tomato juice.

"The fact that you're acting like this child I'm caring doesn't mean a _damn thing_ now that you've found two new clansmen... _that_ is my business. The fact that they are staying in _my_ child's room, _that_ concerns me." Sakura bit back. "Don't try to tell me otherwise."

Sasuke glared at her like she'd somehow managed to grievously offend him. "Samuru is the head of the Uchiha clan. He is exactly the same age Itachi was when he activated his Sharingan, and if he's anything like this father, will become a real threat by the time he's ten. So _yeah_ , he takes precedence right now."

Sakura felt her lower lip begin to tremble as the tears threatened to fall once again, but she forced them back. He didn't deserve the tears. "Glad that I know where my child stands..."

She finished making her tea and made her way over to the table, sitting down across from her husband. Because _damn it_ , she could be civil. She could be civil, because right now, the important thing was getting Makoto healthy and putting out Samuru's fuse before he finally blew. She had no doubt that losing Makoto would be the straw that broke the camel's back and activated his Sharingan, and that was the _last_ thing that they needed right now. So for right now, she could play nice.

* * *

"I didn't mean to cause any problems between you and oji-san." Makoto said softly. Sakura jumped, having forgotten that the young girl could sense her chakra.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sweetheart." Sakura said sweetly, giving her a small smile, even if she couldn't see. Maybe, if she convinced _herself_ that everything was okay, then everything would just naturally fall into place. "You haven't caused any problems at all."

Makoto smiled, "You two are very loud, you know." She said. "Forgive me if I wasn't supposed to hear. But once you drown out the constant beeping, it's actually pretty quiet in here. I couldn't help myself."

Sakura's smile fell. It was hard pretending, even if it was for the little girl's benefit. It felt petty and low to be jealous of a seven-year-old blind girl, who was just a few short steps away from knocking on death's door... but this girl had just fallen into her life at a very sensitive time, and she didn't know how to handle it. Of all the things Sasuke had done, this was the one thing Sakura didn't think she could forgive him for.

"Momma and Daddy... they fought a lot, too." She continued, the smile falling from her lips. "The last fight they had... it was really bad. Momma said she was gonna leave and never come back. And then she got hurt."

Sakura paused, that word triggering something inside her. Hurt. The nicer way of saying that her mother was killed. "Makoto, I -,"

"She got hurt protecting Samuru. So if Samuru doesn't like you too much, it's not you. It's just that... he doesn't want to get too attached, in case something happens to you." Makoto said, her words starting to slur as her pain medication took over.

Sakura frowned. "Sweetie, nothing's gonna happen to me. I promise."

"Promises are made to be broken." Makoto replied, "And the ones we love... they always get hurt in the end. Always."

Just like that, she was out cold. But Sakura couldn't help but dwell on what she'd said. She was upset that she and Sasuke were fighting because the last time someone that she cared for fought, they'd ended up dead. Here was this little girl, who'd known her for less than twenty-four hours, worried about her safety... and Sakura couldn't muster a single positive thought about her to save her life. What kind of person could do that?

Sakura shook her head. She'd told Tsunade that she could handle this case. She'd assured her that she wouldn't get attached. If she couldn't save the girl, then the next step would be to deal with the fallout. There would always be a Plan B. Plan B was not, nor would it ever be, just accept the status quo. One day, this dismal room would be turned back into the nursery of her dreams. One day, this would all seem like a bad dream.

With that in mind, she started Makoto's first round of antibiotic treatments. The antibiotics should, without a doubt, be strong enough to wipe out the infection in her eyes... and then the operation would finish the job, removing all damaged and excessively scarred tissue from the failed transplant. Sakura was confident that the combination of the two would restore her eyesight. But the only way to know for sure would be to wait and see.

* * *

She was able to track down Samuru a half hour later. After they'd gotten home from the hospital, she'd lost sight of him, too worried about making sure that Makoto was properly hooked up to the various machines to keep a close eye on him. But now, she found him at the training grounds. He was working away at a tree, whose poor trunk looked like it'd seen better days. His hands were covered in blood as he continued to beat the trunk into oblivion.

"Must. Get. Stronger." Each word was accentuated with a punch to the tree. He didn't even seem to notice that his knuckles were split open and bleeding profusely. "Must. Make. Dad. Proud." Blue light emanated from his fist and, with his next strike, he completely uprooted the tree. "Must. Protect. Makoto!"

Sakura frowned. That definitely wasn't Uchiha blood that gave him that strength. Who the hell _was_ their mother, anyway? She had a feeling that the answer to that question would make Samuru even more dangerous than they'd originally feared.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks again for reading! Be sure to drop a review and let me know what you think so far!


	4. Sasuke the Caretaker

_"I must ask a favor of you, Samuru." Itachi turned to his son. Even at three, he was the spitting image of his father - that same stoic face, that long, ebony hair that had come to just barely brush his shoulders, those all-seeing onyx eyes..._

 _"Daddy?" Those onyx eyes fell on him, now. They considered the harsh way his jaw was set, the dark smudges beneath his eyes, the lines of his forehead... "What's the matter, Daddy?" His little voice was laced with concern. He did not like that look on Itachi's face._

 _Itachi gave him a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "You know that your sister is quite ill, yes?" A nod, "So very sick, that she might even die."_

 _There was a grave look on the toddler's face as he nodded once more, "Yes, I know that."_

 _"I must leave soon, to finish something that I started many years ago." Itachi said, "I don't ask that you understand. You're much too young to comprehend everything that I am telling you now. But someday, I want you to be able to look back on this night and know that..."_

 _Samuru was hanging off of his every word, "Know what, Daddy?"_

 _"That I loved you and your sister very much. And if there was a way for me to stay with you, here, forever..." his eyes softed momentarily, and he suddenly reached for the boy and pulled him tightly to his chest. "You'll be a great man someday, Samuru. And you'll take good care of your sister."_

 _"Daddy?" Tears collected in his onyx eyes as he was crushed against his father's chest. He didn't understand. Why did his father sound like he was_ leaving _?_

 _"Now, the favor." Itachi took a deep breath, "Protect your sister when I'm gone. You're the head of our little family now, so she'll be looking to you for guidance."_

 _Samuru sniffled, before meeting Itachi's eyes. "Where will you be?"_

 _"Never too far away."_

* * *

It wasn't that Sasuke wasn't excited about the prospect of rebuilding the Uchiha Clan. If he hadn't at least considered the possibility, he wouldn't have entertained the idea of a relationship with Sakura in the first place. He would've thought that that would have been obvious.

But then, Sakura had never been the most logical woman.

Sasuke had been responsible for those children the moment he discovered their existence. His road to redemption certainly would have been cut short if it had become public that he'd let two children die after they'd been bequeathed into his care by the unsung hero of Konoha. After everything that Itachi had suffered, the very _least_ he deserved was to rest easy with the knowledge that his children were alive and well cared for. Why couldn't his wife understand that?

Hell, they were only in this predicament because of Sasuke's failings as an adequate guardian. If it hadn't been for his apparent ineptitude when it came to fatherhood, he would've been able to stop the experimental procedure that had cost Makoto her eyes and they wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place. Any doctor that was halfway competent would have been able to treat Makoto's illness, but Sakura was the only one who could fix her eyes.

Slowly, he moved to the window, leaning against the wall and peering out into the yard where Sakura stood, watching something. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?" He mumbled beneath his breath, almost afraid she would hear and their earlier fight would resume full-force.

He didn't want her to think of this as some sort of personal betrayal. It had killed him to dismantle that nursery, but he'd done it. To lie to his wife, the only person aside from Naruto that had had complete faith in him for all these years, had eaten away at him in a way that words could not describe. Nevertheless, he'd continued to lie. Because he knew better than anyone what losing a family member in any manner felt like, how it had the potential to eat away at you until there was nothing...

He couldn't let Samuru turn out like he had.

A startled shout from the backyard tore him from his silent reverie. Something indescribable tightened in his chest as he frantically searched for the source of the commotion, only to come up short. If he wasn't mistaken, that had sounded like Sakura...

Just as he was about to head out and make sure that all was well, the front door flew open and Sakura stumbled inside, struggling under the weight of her burden. Samuru was tucked into the protective cradle of her arms, trembling slightly but otherwise completely immobile. He seemed to be unconscious.

"What happened?" He asked. She looked at him darkly as he removed the child from her arms, "You're not supposed to be lifting anything over thirty pounds." He reminded her. He attempted to keep his voice gentle, but it came out as more of a chastisement. "It's bad for the baby."

His wife scowled at him, "Oh, so _now_ you suddenly care about what is and isn't healthy for our baby? Go fuck yourself."

Sasuke shifted the boy in his arms, tucking his trembling body into his cloak in an effort to quell his shivering. "What happened?" He asked again, more firmly.

"He collapsed from chakra depletion. It's nothing a little bit of sleep won't fix." She huffed, tucking a stray pink hair behind her ear. "I trust that you're capable of manuevering an unconscious child into a bed without my supervision."

Sasuke was about to comment on the nasty side comment, when he realized that Sakura had already turned and was heading out the door. "And where do you think that you're going?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Sakura began, not even bothering to turn around, "but I'm going to take a walk and clear my head. I can't... I just can't be here."

"These children... they are your family, Sakura." Sasuke said softly.

But Sakura wouldn't hear it, "No, they're not."

She left in a hurry, but Sasuke could still hear the sniffles that undoubtedly accompanied tears. With a sigh, he carried the boy down the hall and laid him on the unoccupied cot. The bed was facing the one that his sister occupied, with only about fifteen steps between them. The room itself was not large, and was not meant to house two adolescent children... let alone two children and all the medical equipment needed to keep one of them alive.

Samuru was scared, and he felt lost and alone in this new, unfamiliar world where the only responsibility that gave his life meaning - taking care of Makoto - had been violently torn away from him. Sasuke tucked the blanket over his small body, before placing a cool hand on his clammy forehead. In the background, Makoto's heart monitor beeped a steady, soothing rhythm... _beep-beep_... _beep-beep_... _beep-beep_...

God help them all when that machine finally stopped beeping.

* * *

Makoto woke up coughing.

Sasuke barely had time to remove the oxygen mask before she coughed up a mouthful of blood, spraying tiny red droplets all over the crumpled white sheet that was draped loosely over her sweating form. Unsure of what to do or how to help her, he rubbed soothing circles into the small of her back, occasionally patting gently in an effort to loosen the bloody congestion. After several tense moments, the coughing fit began to subside and she quieted.

"Now, drink this." Sasuke instructed, brushing a paper cup filled with water against her lips and encouraging her to drink. Their movements were uncoordinated, however, so some of the pink-tinged liquid dribbled from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. He grabbed the nearby trash can, "Now spit it out."

The result was more blood than anything else, so they repeated the process a second... third... and fourth time. By the fifth time, the water was mostly clear. "Oji-san, I don't feel so good..."

"I know, dārin. I know." He stripped the sheet and replaced it with a soft, yellow blanket - he recalled that Sakura's mother had handmade it for their impending arrival.

Makoto was silent for several moments, before asking, "Where is Sakura oja-san?"

"Don't worry about it." Was the simple response. But the way he'd dismissed her so callously _did_ worry her. "Go back to sleep."

"Did she leave because of me -,"

"I said not to worry about it!" Sasuke snapped, and the child whimpered pathetically before falling silent.

Sasuke sighed. Compassion had never been his forte - he had experienced so much trauma in his own lifetime, he had difficulty relating to that of others. As horrible as it sounded, their pain had always seemed so inconsequential in comparison. But this child, while not necessarily _his_ , was now as much his own as the one that Sakura would soon deliver. Itachi had bequethed his children into Sasuke's care and, even if he was out of practice, he couldn't just ignore their suffering.

More than a tad uncertain, he sat on the side of the bed and laid a hand on Makoto's clammy forehead. The girl was sobbing softly, her tears being absorbed in the soft cotton bandages wound tightly over her eyes. He could tell that she was attempting to calm herself down, worrying her bottom lip until blood bubbled to the surface and blinking her eyes rapidly from behind their cloth prison in an effort to staunch the flow of tears. If anything, it only seemed to be making her more upset.

"Look, I didn't mean to yell, okay? I just have a lot on my mind, that's all - but that wasn't an invitation to take it out on you." He said softly, trying a little harder to keep his emotions in check. "Sakura oja-san did not leave because of you. And she'll be back before you can miss her, so take my advice and don't worry about it -,"

"When Daddy was mad," Makoto whispered, her small hand fisting the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white, "he never yelled. He would just get very, very quiet... He'd leave for a little while, to think over what had happened and to cool down. But he always came back. He promised us that he would."

"Makoto..." He really didn't know what he was supposed to say to that.

Makoto smiled weakly as a blood-stained tear traced down her cheek, "He named me Makoto after obāchan. He said that she was always the voice of reason in the household, and falling into her arms always made him feel so safe." Here, her voice cracked, "A mother's love is the sincerest love one can ever know."

"Why are you telling me this?" Her little speech was stirring up all sorts of emotions that were better off buried.

Makoto shrugged, "I used to think that, if love fixed everything, maybe if I'd loved Daddy a little bit more, he wouldn't have had to die."

Sasuke shook his head, "Life doesn't work that way."

"Wouldn't it be nice if it did, though?" She asked. And then, softer, "Love won't save Samuru, oji-san. If it isn't me, something else will trigger the inevitable implosion that will send him on his downward spiral. I've made peace with that." She reached for his hand, "Don't let it ruin what you have with oja-san."

Sasuke stared at her gauze covered eyes for several moments, before shaking his head. "You're not going to die, Makoto. You're _not_."

Gently, she squeezed his hand. "Either way, I'm happy."

Sasuke placed the oxygen mask back over her mouth and nose, and checked her medication pump once more before departing. Samuru was still unconscious on his little cot on the far side of the room, looking decidedly better but still far from ideal. He wondered how long the boy would be out, and debated perparing extra dinner just in case... He shut the door to the second bedroom behind him, heading off in the direction of the kitchen. Decisions, decisions...

* * *

 _"Why did you have to give me such a weird name?" Samuru asked, making a face as his father showed him, yet again, how to form the symbols to spell it._

 _Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Weird? How so?"_

 _"It means 'the name of God', doesn't it?" Itachi nodded - so that boy_ had _been listening, then._

 _Sighing, Itachi lifted the boy into his arms and settled him onto his lap, "Let me tell you a story. Our clan's history is rife with violence and betrayal, as you well know. And at this very moment, our clan's de facto leader stands in exile." He poked the little boy's forehead, "But you, my son, are very special."_

 _Samuru's onyx eyes lit up like fireworks. "Special?"_

 _Itachi nodded, "You will be the one to lead the clan back to it's former glory. You will be like a god among men, the product of two of the most powerful bloodlines in history." He kissed his short, tousled ebony locks. "There is no doubt in my mind that you're destined for greatness."_

 _"I'm gonna be a hero! I'm gonna be a hero!" The boy chanted excitedly, whipping out of Itachi's arms and bouncing up and down._

 _Itachi patted the ground beside him, "But first, all good heroes must know how to spell their name..."_

* * *

 **Obāchan:** grandmother

 **Dārin:** darling

 **A/N:** Okay, it has been an _eternity_ since I've updated. Sorry about that folks - hope that this chapter makes up for it! More to come soon, I promise.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the companion for this story: _Scarlet Skies Are Falling: Killer Queen_ to find out more about Makoto and Samuru's mother!


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